Second Chance
by caskettshipper3
Summary: AU Castle and Beckett story. If you love something, let it free. If it comes back, it's yours forever. If it doesn't, than it never was.


_**Au story. Castle & Beckett were childhood friends who lost touch. What happened? You'll have to keep reading to find out ;)**_

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5She's nursing a glass of wine, long fingers cradling the glass even as she makes no move to drink from it; she's just turned twenty one and, legally, she's permitted to drink but she isn't quite comfortable with consuming alcohol with various great aunts breathing down her neck - although, she muses, that is the very same reason that it's tempting.

She's bored, and she loves her family, she does. Really. But being the only person under forty at this soirée sucks and she curses her cousins for ducking out of the celebrations with various excuses. Because she isn't afforded the same opportunity - this is her parents' twenty fifth wedding anniversary, after all. She can hardly not be in attendance.

And it may be her duty, but she swears to God that if her father's Aunt Patricia asks her one more time whether or not she's found a 'nice boy to settle down with' she is going to scream.

She excuses herself from the entirely tedious conversation, pushes through the seemingly endless crush of bodies - she hadn't even known her parents had this many family and friends - to head into the relatively empty kitchen, clear her head. Away from prying eyes, she necks the wine before pouring herself a new glass. She takes a moment to collect herself before turning back to the door, ready to face the onslaught of people eager to tell her they haven't seen her since she was 'this tall!' only to collide with someone in an unceremonious crash, her red wine spilling out over both parties and she thanks God that she went with the little black dress over the lilac affair she'd contemplated wearing. The stains would be hell to get out. She looks up, is met only with the view of a man's chest, white dress shirt soaked with rapidly expanding tendrils of red wine that seep like blood through the material. Kate looks up, ready to apologise profusely to whoever it is whose clothing she's ruined but as she steps back, looks up at his face, her breath catches in her chest because this man is ruggedly handsome to say the least. And the way he's looking at her, joy sparking in brilliantly blue eyes...

"Katie?" The man exclaims, crushing her to him in a bear hug. "Katie Beckett!"

She's frozen in shock because she hasn't seen this man in seven years - and when she knew him they were both just kids - but she'd know those eyes anywhere. "Ricky Rodgers," her voice escaped her breathlessly, much to her chagrin. "Long time, no see."

"Yeah!" His amazingly toned muscles finally release her and there is no trace of the semi shy and scrawny kid she'd had a crush on. He's muscled and his model-like abs are visible under the red wine stain. "You look amazing." His eyes rake over her and she can't help the blush that covers her cheeks. "Certainly not fourteen anymore."

"Same to you. Didn't you used to be more of a stick figure and less of a beef stack?" He laughs, more of a deep chortle, and it sends waves of... something through her body.

"I may have hulked up a bit." She allows her eyes to swipe over him again and it's certainly more than a bit, but she shakes herself out of those thoughts.

"I'm SO sorry about your shirt."

"Oh, it's cool. I've been looking for a reason to leave for an hour. I love your parents, but I swear if I hear 'Oh my! You've grown so much!' one more time, I'm gonna scream." She giggles and she can't believe he can still make her smile after all this time.

"Well, unfortunately I've gotta stay until this is over, but its was nice seeing you."

"You too." He touches her arm and there goes that wave again. He keeps his hand there and the air gets thicker some how.

"So, will you be in the city for long? I mean we should get dinner or something. Catch up."

"I'd love that." Her brain is cut off as she accepts and writes her number on his hand. "Later." She retreats as soon as possible and rejoins her parents.

Its totally out of character for her to just go blindly on a date with this guy. She hasn't seen him in 6 years he could be a completely different person! She can't think she knows him. But truth is she does. He's the same boy that she played spies in a treehouse with, the same guy who stole her first kiss and ran away with her heart.

She never really got over it.


End file.
